It feels like just yesterday we saw Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud come off the board 1-2, before the Houston Texans traded up to No. 3 to make their second pick of the first round and select Will Anderson Jr. Yet, somehow, we’re already at the fifth-year option deadline for the 2023 NFL Draft class.

So far, only five teams have yet to decide on their 2023 first-round picks. The other 26 first-rounders (there were only 31 first-round picks that year) have already had their fifth-year options exercised or declined.

While everyone’s talking about the players that had their fifth-year options exercised, I wanted to highlight those who have had theirs declined, or are yet to hear from their teams less than 24 hours before the deadline, and see what their future could look like.

Is there a chance they will stay with their current team? Should they look to find a new home? And if so, where do they go? Let’s find out.

QB Anthony Richardson

2023 Draft Slot: 4th overall to the Indianapolis Colts

Anthony Richardson started 13 games in college, so he was always a gamble, and the Indianapolis Colts just never gave him a shot. He didn’t play well in his second season, but he was always going to be a project, and instead of giving him time to develop, the Colts basically gave up on him, signing Daniel Jones. It feels inevitable that Richardson will not be a Colt after next season (if not sooner).

The NFL doesn’t have a quarterback problem. They have a quarterback development problem. The reason there were so many great quarterbacks in the early 2000s is that teams put the time in to develop their investments. Instead, if a quarterback isn’t good right away, they’re thrown to the curb.

Richardson still has an extremely high ceiling. He’s a great athlete with an absolute rocket for an arm, but he needs someone willing to take the time to develop him. I would love to see him land somewhere like Pittsburgh, where he could probably sit for a year and then take over. Los Angeles would’ve been ideal, but they drafted Ty Simpson, so there’s no reason for them to take a chance on Richardson.

ED Tyree Wilson

2023 Draft Slot: 7th overall to the Las Vegas Raiders

Tyree Wilson was the seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft, and he was a pretty divisive prospect coming out of college. Some had him as the best edge rusher in the class, while others had a lot of doubts about how he’d turn out in the league. Turns out, the latter were right. Wilson has never had over five sacks in a single season, and now he’s been traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New Orleans Saints, who declined his fifth-year option.

Just because the Saints declined Wilson’s fifth-year option doesn’t mean they want to get rid of him after this season. They view him as a high-upside player, and if this coaching staff can unlock him, they’d certainly be open to keeping him around for the long-term. That’s the ideal scenario, but if he doesn’t show much promise, he’ll probably be gone next season.

If Wilson doesn’t pan out in New Orleans, it’s hard to imagine him getting too many other shots. That would be two coaching staffs that couldn’t develop him, so I’d want to see him go somewhere like Cleveland, where he can learn behind someone like Myles Garrett. But 2026 certainly feels like a big year for Wilson.

OT Broderick Jones

2023 Draft Slot: 14th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers

Broderick Jones was picked 14th overall in 2023 with the hopes he’d become a franchise tackle in Pittsburgh, but that just hasn’t happened. In three seasons with the team, Jones has allowed 20 sacks and 95 pressures while being whistled for 13 penalties in 1,378 pass blocking snaps. On top of that, he’s been a below-average run blocker throughout his career.

Jones came into the league with a lot of promise after a strong combine performance, but he just hasn’t put the pieces together. If Pittsburgh elects to let him go after this season, which seems likely, I’m sure he’s going to get another chance to compete for a starting job. It’s just a matter of where.

Tons of teams need tackle help every offseason. It’s hard to predict who exactly will be searching for a tackle at this time next year, but offensive linemen are at a premium, so don’t be shocked if he gets a second opportunity to start. Preferably, he’d go somewhere he can learn behind a vet for a year before starting in 2028. Possibly San Francisco with Trent Williams?

LB Jack Campbell

2023 Draft Slot: 18th overall to the Detroit Lions

Jack Campbell stands out like a sore thumb. He has been everything the Detroit Lions wanted and more, but since inside and outside linebackers are grouped together when they calculate fifth-year options, he would be the highest-paid inside linebacker in the league if Detroit exercised his option.

I feel pretty confident in saying the Lions will work out a long-term extension with Campbell in the near future. Since his contract expires after next season, it could be as soon as this offseason that he gets it. It won’t be $22 million per year, but it’ll probably be over $15 million.

CB Deonte Banks

2023 Draft Slot: 24th overall to the New York Giants

At the time I’m posting this, the Giants have not declined Banks’ fifth-year option officially, but they are expected to by Friday’s deadline.

Deonte Banks has been pretty horrendous since entering the league in 2023. I feel bad saying that, but there’s really no other way to put it. Over his first three seasons, Banks has given up a 65 percent completion rate, 1,667 yards, and 14 touchdowns with two picks in 1,222 coverage snaps. Those are not good numbers.

A lot of the other guys on this list still have some promise, even if they don’t sign an extension with their current team, but I’m not sure the same can be said for Banks. He’s proven he is what he is: a speedy corner that isn’t great in coverage. Maybe someone could take a chance on him and move him to safety, but I don’t foresee him getting a starting job in the NFL after his time in New York comes to a close. He’ll probably sign somewhere and be a depth/practice squad piece.

DT Mazi Smith

2023 Draft Slot: 26th overall to the Dallas Cowboys

Mazi Smith is one of the biggest draft busts in recent memory. The Dallas Cowboys selected him 26th overall, and since he stepped foot in the league, he has been flat-out awful. In three seasons, Smith has played 971 snaps and has just 18 pressures to his name, and has never earned a grade higher than 36 from PFF.

The Cowboys were able to get Smith off their books when they traded for Quinnen Williams last season. Now, Smith is with the Jets, where he appeared in three games and didn’t record a single stat outside of one missed tackle on 54 snaps. The Jets obviously declined his fifth-year option, and I don’t see a path forward from here.

Most of the time, first-rounders will get a second chance, even if it’s as a depth piece, but Smith hasn’t done anything to prove he’s worthy of a roster spot. If the Jets let him go, I’d be shocked if he ends up on another 53-man roster.

ED Myles Murphy

2023 Draft Slot: 28th overall to Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals declined Myles Murphy’s fifth-year option, but I think there’s a good chance they try to bring him back with an extension after this season. Murphy didn’t play well his first two years, but he actually played pretty well in 2025, totaling 41 pressures and 5.5 sacks.

If the Bengals exercised Murphy’s fifth-year option, they would’ve paid him somewhere around $14 million in 2027. Obviously, getting that guaranteed money would’ve been great, but this could play into Murphy’s hands. If he takes another step this year and logs something like eight sacks with Trey Hendrickson gone, he’ll be up for an extension this offseason and could get more than $14 million.

I have a feeling Murphy sticks around in Cincinnati; it’s just a matter of how much they re-sign him for.

ED Felix Anudike-Uzomah

2023 Draft Slot: 31st to the Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs had a lot of hope for Felix Anudike-Uzomah coming out of college, but he has not panned out whatsoever. As a rookie, Anudike-Uzomah logged just 11 pressures and 0.5 sacks before following it up with a 14-pressure, 2.5-sack season in 2024. Last year, Anudike-Uzomah missed the entire season with a hamstring injury, so he didn’t get the chance to prove he’s worth giving an extra year.

Edge rusher is a premium position, and if you possess even an ounce of talent, teams are going to give you a chance. If the Chiefs let Anudike-Uzomah walk, he’ll probably get picked up, but he’s going to have to fight just to make the 53-man roster. But like with Wilson, I’d like to see him end up somewhere that he can learn behind a veteran and not have the pressure of being a first-round pick for that franchise looming over him.